The St. Charles Health System board of directors has approved a $16 million renovation to St. Charles Madras that will add 26,000 square feet to the facility and enhance outpatient and primary care services.
The 25-bed critical access hospital serves 21,000 people in Madras and surrounding communities. But the facility—built in 1967—does not meet current standards of care. Some of the most pressing problems include:
• The hospital’s laboratory, which is located in an aging modular unit that is too small to accommodate staff and equipment.
• An emergency department that is only equipped with seven beds separated by curtains.
• Only one operating room.
• HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems that are original to the 1967 building, and in need of significant upgrades.
• Multiple entryways that have resulted from numerous additions over the years, making it difficult for patients to identify a main entrance.
Slated for construction in May 2015, the addition will include a new main entrance, a new combined operating room and emergency department, a new imaging department and laboratory. The existing infrastructure will also undergo upgrades.
St. Charles Madras and Pioneer Memorial Hospital CEO Jeanie Gentry said other options were considered, including renovating the existing space and building an entirely new facility. A renovation, however, would cost more than new construction and would interrupt critical services. And a new facility would cost about twice as much.
“After studying the needs of our community and the problems with the St. Charles Madras facility, we decided that building an addition as part of a longer-term plan was the most practical and economical choice,” Gentry said. “This renovation will help us improve efficiency and focus mainly on outpatient and primary care services, rather than inpatient volume.”
The Madras facility has been studied by architecture firms a number of times over the last decade. Master site plans were developed, and an entire replacement facility was proposed for HUD financing in 2011. This information, along with work performed in the last six months by The Neenan Company, was taken into consideration when identifying options for a building plan.
The $16 million for the project—which will be partially financed by bonds—fulfills St. Charles’ commitment to the Madras community to upgrade the hospital as part of the asset transfer agreement with the Mountain View Hospital District.
“The need for facility improvements has been recognized for years,” said James A. Diegel, FACHE, president and CEO of St. Charles Health System. “This renovation to St. Charles Madras is truly going to enhance the quality and safety of patient care, and serve the community for years to come.”
